Container for pencil leads and the like



G. L. BECKSTROM CONTAINER FOR PENCIL LEADS ANBKTHELIKE,

Filed May l5, 1944 Patented Oct. 8, 1946 f CONTAINER VTHE LIKE. iGarfield L. Becks'tro'm:, Chicago,.Ill., assigner to v AutopointCompany, Chicago, a corpora@n l f tion of nlinois 4 Application May 15,1944, serial No. 535,630`

2 Claims. (c1. '20s-,56)

This invention relatestov a container for mechanical pencil leads andthe like, and morepar- Leads for mechanical pencils and the like areAsmall, more or less easily breakable, and somewhat dicult to pick upwhen dropped on the floor or other surface. Among the objects .of thisinvention is to provide, for such leads, a container that is convenientto carry around, that Ywill prevent the leads from becominginadvertently spilled, and that may be easily manipulated for tiltingone or more leads through a slot into position to be easily grasped whena new lead is desired.

A further object is to provide a lead container having Va pair ofhollow, relatively rotatable, telescoping members with slots that maybebrought into registry for dispensing leads by a simple tilting action,and whichv slots may be moved out of registry when the dispensing of alead is not desired.

A still further object is to so construct such container as to increasethe tendency of the leads to project at an angle through the registeringslots when the container is tilted a small amount from a verticalposition, to enable the easy grasping of a lead.

Another object is to provide novel means for limiting the relativemovement of the slots into and out of registry with each other.

Still another object is to provide novel means for normally holding thetelescoping member against longitudinal separation, and yet permit suchseparation upon the application of a slight pull of one with relation tothe other, for purposes of replenishment and the like.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities, inherently possessed by myinvention,`will later more fully appear.

My invention further resides in the com-bination, construction andarrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and whileI have shown therein a preferred embodiment I wish it understood thatthe same is susceptible of modification and change without departingfrom the spirit of this invention.

In the drawing:

Fig- 1 is a. side elevation of a .pencil-lead container embodying myinvention and showing the despensing slots open.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

' 3 isaview similar tov Fig. 1, but showing? the dispensing slotclosed.n, l l .y

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of Fig. 1.

. l Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5 5.-

of Fig. 2. d p Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line 6 6 of yFig. 3but showing Athe parts in open-slot position. l d f Fig. 7 is a sideelevation of the inner rotatable hollow member. p

Fig. 8 is a side elevation-of the outer hollow member of thecontainer.Fig. 9 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 9?-9 of Fig, 8.

Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 7. Referring in detail to thedrawing my container for mechanical pencil leads and the like comprisesan outer hollow member I and an inner hollow member 2 rotatably mountedthere.-

in. .The outer member is formed with an elongated slot 3 and the innermember is formed with an elongated slot 4, these members being soconstructed that they can be rotated a limited below and in alinementwith slot 3 is a rib orprojection 9 over the upper end of which extendsthe lower end of the slot 4 of the inner member.

Intermediate of its length the inner member 2 is formed on its outersurface with an annular bead l0 which is seated in the annular groove Ilformed around the inner surface of the outer member I. By reason of theslot 4 and the resiliency of the material of the walls of the innermember the bead I0 may be caused to Iseat Within the groove Il or beremoved therefrom by a longitudinal pull on the inner member withrelation to the outer member, thus normally holding these parts togetherand permitting their rotation one with relation to the other.

The inner surface I2 of the bottom I3 of the outer member is inclined orbeveled outwardly and downwardly away from the side containing the slot3, so that there is a tendency for the bottom ends of the leads toassume the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 2 when the slots are-'lJN11 i-:o Y STATE-s PATENT OFI-ical l enable easy grasping of one ofsuch leads. seenA` in Fig. 2`the inclined or beveled .bottomI I2is suchas to cause the lead to lean at an an'gle across thev shoulder or edgeI4 at the inside of the bottom 4 end of slot 3 thus throwing the lead(one or more) into an easy position for grasping.

The Width of the increased portion of thai bottom end of the slot 4 issuch that when the.

inner member 2 is rotated in a clockwise direction (the outer memberremaining stationary) tothe position shown in Fig. 5, the slots will beboth closed, While when rotated as far as it will go in the oppositedirection the slots will be in registry and completely open. This limitof movement to closed or open position of the slots is controlled bythestriking of one edge or the other of the enlarged bottom end of slot'lIagainst onevside or the other ofl the projection or rib 9, thejslotsbeing shown closed in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, andopenin Figs. 1 and 6. Inother Words when the-'right hand edge I5 of the enlarged portion 5 ofthe bottom endofslot 4 (as viewed in Figs. 3 and 5) strikes the adjacentside I6 of rib or projection 9 the slots will be closed,'and when theedge I'I of slot 4 strikes side I8 of rib 9 the slots will be open (seeFig. 6). This opening for closing of the slots is effected by partiallyrotating the inner member in' one orthe other direction within the outermember, which may be readily accomplished by grasping ther top I9 andadjacent gripping ridges of the inner member 2.

' The inner and outer members Will preferably be :made of plasticmateria1 although any other suitable material may be used if desired.

' It 'is thus'se'en that I havev provided a container and dispenser forleads for mechanical pencils and the like in which the leads may bestored, and- When one is desired the slots can -be brought 4 intoregistry to open them, and a lead be caused to extend at an angle ineasy grasping position by merely tilting the top of the container towardthe slots. New leads may be introduced into the container by pulling theinner member out of the outer members to'free bead I0 from groove II.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim:

l: A containerfor leads for mechanical pencils and the like, comprisinga pair of hollow telescoping members each closed at one end and eachhaving a longitudinally extending slot extending to the open endthereof, said members Ibeing movable with relation to each other tobring the slots intoand out ofjregistry to open and close the same, oneof said members having a shoulder positoned at the inner closed end ofits slot and anV inclinedbottom slanting away from the slot.saidshoulder being spaced from the bottom a distance not less than theWidth of the container, the slanting bottom Atending to cause the leadsto assumeV a tiltedposition toward the slot when the container is heldupright.

2. A container for leads for mechanical pencils and the like, comprisinga pair of hollow telescoping members each closed at one end and eachhaving a longitudinally extending slot, said members lbeing rotatablewith relation to each other to bring the slots into and out of registryto open and close the same, one of said members having a shoulderpositioned at the inner closed end of its slot and an inclined bottomslanting downwardly away from the slot, the slantingbottom tending tocause the leads to assume a tilted posi-' tion toward the slot andagainst the shoulder when the container is held upright, and saidshoulder being spaced from the lower remote end of the bottom a distancesubstantially one-half the longitudinal inner dimension of the containerto retain the tilted leads against fallingthrough the slots whenthese'slots are in registry.

GARFIELD L. 1 BECKSI'ROM.

